According to Palestinian sources, the move followed a heated dispute between Mr Hamdallah and his two deputies, Mohammed Mustafa and Ziad Abu Amru.

The prime minister has been in office less than a month.

A Palestinian source told Haaretz: “There is a feeling here that Abu Mazen is very angry with this move but has not yet decided whether to accept the resignation, once again embarking on choosing from a mix of possible names and all the speculations about the next prime minister, or whether to sort out the issues with the prime minister and his deputies."